<p>OK, this is not to compare, critisize and whatever, the question “Where do you stand on feminism?” is pretty neutral.
I believe that feminism is trying to declare the fact that is in contradiction to the science. The genders are NOT equal by any stretch of imagination. Some tasks are not meant to be performed by female and others cannot be performed by male. Aside from the medial miracle, male cannot give birth to a baby. With excepion o few outliiners female body has more estrogen, while male body has more testasteron. These hormones affect physical, emotional, mental and other capacities, we like it or not is irrelevant.<br>
I told both of my kids and grandkids that under no circumstances they should be egaged with any activity that feels unsafe. I have never ever encoraged anybody or push them into something they were not sure about. Which could be a reason why they actully were and are involved heavily into so many different and un-related activities. They choose their risks themseles, they assess their ability themselves. Trusting yourself more than you ever trust anybody else is a greatest ability that leads to truly independant life for male or female and it includes understading of one’s limitations, well suuper-humans do not have them, and I told all in my family that none of us is in this group.</p>
<p>I dream of a day when people understand the difference between sex and gender. </p>
<p>I’m a door opener and a really fast walker and it drives my husband crazy. He’d like to open the door for me, but good luck. It’s really just not on my radar. I wear boots pretty much. Sometimes they have heels sometimes not. I have wide feet. The discovery of boots was a miracle to me. </p>
<p>I don’t really wear make up. It’s a pain. But I do use really expensive skin care products and I do color my hair. I don’t botox or filler or whatnot. I tried it once and I hated it.</p>
<p>I raised my daughters with trucks and dolls and tools and paintbrushes and books. They both grew up to be creative and they are really, really different from me and from each other.</p>
<p>So my daughters very girly gender identity is her very own. I’m glad to hear that most feminists agree with me and that even she agrees that outside of that one classroom she is a feminist. Of course, the fact that her father, who hunts and watches football all Sunday will tell you he’s a feminist makes him my favorite feminist I know. </p>
<p>As for women all over the world, I can only say that there are certain days when I’m so grateful to have been born in the US, I can barely believe my great good luck. There’s a lot of work to do in the world, and in this country, still, as well.</p>
<p>Yes poet those of us born in the US did win the lottery. For those like me who grew up being raised by exceptional parents with fantastic siblings the ticket was even more valuable. Throw in good health and my winnings are off the chart.</p>
<p>I dream of the day when people understand the difference between biology and opportunity</p>
<p>I’m not sure about that, Tom. Tell that to the 1 in 3black males who will be imprisoned in their lifetime or the 1 in 5 children who will go hungry every year or those who can’t access medical services because of lack of insurance. Probably doesn’t feel like much of a lottery. </p>
<p>Growing up, I’d much rather have lived in a country with a healthy social welfare system for children that wasn’t constantly under attack. As a young woman, I’d rather live in a country that doesn’t constantly try to take away my bodily and sexual autonomy. </p>
<p>“I dream of a day when people understand the difference between sex and gender.”
- maybe you will not need to dream if you explain what is the difference. I have typed “gender” and looked for the synonyms. One of them is “sex”. </p>
<p>eh. The list of places I’d rather have been born when I was born is so much shorter than the list of places I’m glad I wasn’t born as to be pretty negligible. Given that WWII was going on when my mother was born, I’m sure there’s no place she would have rather been born at all. </p>
<p><a href=“U.S. is 65th in world on gender pay gap”>http://money.cnn.com/2014/10/27/news/economy/global-gender-pay-gap/</a></p>
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<p>Well sure, we could have been born someplace worse, but we also could have been born someplace perhaps better for working mothers. I think romani makes an excellent point, although I’ve really enjoyed and agreed with the posts of poetgrl and Tom. But romani has to decide whether to have children and how to handle childcare if she does. And there are countries that make that easier than the US.</p>
<p>Busdriver: Do you think there would be more female pilots if universal childcare existed in the US?</p>
<p><a href=“Socialist child care in Europe: Creche, Ecole maternelle, and French child care options.”>http://www.slate.com/articles/life/family/2012/11/socialist_child_care_in_europe_creche_ecole_maternelle_and_french_child.html</a></p>
<p><a href=“European Platform for Investing in Children (EPIC) - Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion - European Commission”>European Platform for Investing in Children (EPIC) - Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion - European Commission;
<p><a href=“http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2014/10/26/what_does_universal_childcare_mean_for_working_women.html”>http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2014/10/26/what_does_universal_childcare_mean_for_working_women.html</a></p>
<p>* Of course, the fact that her father, who hunts and watches football all Sunday will tell you he’s a feminist makes him my favorite feminist I know.*</p>
<p>:) love it^</p>
<p>Out in my rural southern neck of the woods, full of hunters and sports fans, especially car races and demolition events, the most common male occupation is self-employed: farmer, contractor, real estate developer. And the economy isn’t that great. The most common female occupation is teacher or nurse. Essentially, the women are supporting their families with steady jobs and incomes and the benefits coming with those jobs. The men hang out at the corner gas station before and after getting their kids on the school bus and taking them to football or ballet. The only feminist out here is me. ;)</p>
<p>The husbands all brag on how smart their wives are and what good jobs they have. They give them lots of credit. Especially when a fancy new vehicle appears in someone’s driveway.</p>
<p>“Busdriver: Do you think there would be more female pilots if universal childcare existed in the US?”</p>
<p>No alh, I don’t think so. Right now, the reason I think there are so few female pilots is because women just aren’t interested in doing the job. It’s as open to women as it is to men, but many women have just not caught the flying bug. Plus the fact that pilots are generally gone overnight, sometimes for a week or more. Even if one had access to free universal childcare, I don’t think it would be attractive to women to drop their kids off at the childcare center for a couple of weeks every month, with overnight stays. You still need either a flexible and involved husband (or family member) who is willing to act as a single parent when you’re gone, or a full time nanny.</p>
<p>There’s no place better for a woman to have a child than France. There are issues with tracking and education, in terms of if your kid gets to go to Lycee or not. But, for the mother? No country is better. I like Denmark, too, for lots of reasons, particularly education.</p>
<p>On the other hand, if it hadn’t been for the US investing in these countries and investing in guns, they would have had to do so themselves. (If we are talking historical movements, anyway.)</p>
<p>The main reason I’d rather raise my kids in France than in the US is just the sheer sanity of the way the kids grow up compared to the insane level of competition they have to contend with here, and the more rational level of expected parental involvement. </p>
<p>@MiamiDAP sex is the physical attributes that come from having XX or XY chromosomes (or other various intersex combinations), and gender is a social construct and refers to how people choose to present themselves to the world. Someone may be biologically male (sex), but identify and present as a woman (gender)</p>
<p>I did not mean to imply that the US is the worst or anything. Far from it. I’d rather live in the US than 90%+ of the world, especially as a poor woman. However, I certainly don’t feel like I’ve won the lottery and I think a lot of demographics don’t either. </p>
<p>I am lucky in that I do have some flexibility in where I live in the future. I am incredibly lucky that I have family in European countries that would help me if I wanted to immigrate somewhere. It’s just that when you can’t go to the doctor and get antibiotics for strep throat when you’re 12 due to lack of insurance, you don’t really feel like you’ve won the lottery. </p>
<p>That’s all. </p>
<p>"Essentially, the women are supporting their families with steady jobs and incomes and the benefits coming with those jobs. The men hang out at the corner gas station before and after getting their kids on the school bus and taking them to football or ballet. "</p>
<p>It is good to be a man. :)</p>
<p>Out on the west coast, the men hang out in restaurants and we drive our kids to school, soccer or ballet. </p>
<p>Very strenuous and tiring. :)</p>
<p>We are feminists. :)</p>
<p>“There’s no place better for a woman to have a child than France.”
- Sounds like somebody has not been there lately. Visit may make you say something totally opposite. </p>
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<p>This sounds like you advocate equal work for equal pay unless you don’t feel like working because of society. There are many reason not to “want to run”–in order to beat other people of the same talent, you have to make personal sacrifices in order to be able to perform well enough to “win.” I think to apply the concept of “privilege” to the desire and act of making personal sacrifices to perform at a high level is perverse. </p>
<p>could be. I’m not planning on having anymore kids. 
Too old now.</p>
<p>@Romanigypsyeyes I’m sure that the medical stuff exposes my SES. I’m hoping those kinds of inhumane things are finally coming to an end in this country. I’d like to let other countries pay for their own military defense, now, and use our own money for social programs. Guns v. butter. But that’s just me.</p>
<p>I am more of a feminist as an older woman than I was as a younger one. </p>
<p>FWIW I remember this debate from back when I was in college. Back then I would have said I was for women having equal rights and opportunities, but would have been hesitant to call myself a feminist. This despite being at a formerly all male uni where women were still a new thing, and not being afraid to compete head to head with men in areas that had previously been verboten. (Showing my age!) I just didn’t like the label. </p>
<p>Now, seeing how bad women have it in other parts of the world, seeing the areas in which equal rights have gone backwards imho, I am less afraid of the label. </p>
<p>I do think progress has been made since I was a girl, but there is still more to be done. </p>
<p>We can only hope, poetgrl</p>